Girdle



March 29, 1960 H. G. P. MEYER GIRDLE Filed Aug. 11. 1955 [III lug/auto?" 7 77Z 017 United States Patent GIRDLE Harry G. P. Meyer, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Kabo, Inc., a corporation of Illinois Application August 11, 1955, Serial No. 527,795

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-561) This invention relates to a girdle and is particularly concerned with means for facilitating appication of the girdle to and removal from the body of the wearer.

Although the invention is described in connection with a girdle, it will be understood that it may also be used in conection with corsets or foundations.

Women wear girdles to shape their figures, and prefer to wear a girdle as small as possible provided they can get into it comfortably. In accordance with the present invention ingress and egress are made easier by a pair of oppositely disposed slits each of which extends past the mid-point of the height of the girdle. Accordingly, when both slits are opened, the extent to which the girdle may be spread is increased considerably because the vertical overlap of the slits permits temporary distortion of the girdle so that a woman can slip into a girdle a full size smaller than with girdles not having vertically overlapping openings. Each slit is provided With a zipper closure, and the zippers aid in pressing and shaping the garment tightly about the body when they are slid to closed position.

The structure by which the above mentioned and other advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a girdle embodying the invention, with both slits closed; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the girdle with the slits open.

The girdle comprises a front section 2, side sections 3 and 4, and a back section 5. Both side sections are stretchable in any direction, but the front and back sections are made of inelastic material. The back section is sewed at its opposite edges to each of the side sections. The back and side sections are of less length than the front section. A panel 6, having a height equal to the dilierence in length between front section 2 and back section 5, is sewed to the upper edges of side sections 3 and 4 and back section 5. Panel 6 is stretchable only in the direction transverse of the girdle. One end of panel 6 is sewed to one edge of front section 2 adjacent its upper portion.

The opposite end of panel 6 is separated from the edge of section 2 by a slit 7 that extends downwardly from the upper edge of the girdle between the edge of section 2 and the adjacent edge of side panel 4. Slit 7 extends downwardly a distance slightly greater than half the length of the girdle and is provided with a zipper 8. The portion of front section 2 below the end of slit 7 is sewed to side section 4 to provide a sewed joint 11. Another slit 9 extends upwardly-from the lower end of the girdle between the opposite side of front section 2 and side section 3. Slit 9 is provided with a zipper 10 for closing it. Asewed joint 12 extending upwardly from the upper end of slit 9 joins the edges of front section 2 and side section 3 above the upper end of slit 9.

Slit 9 also extends more than half way along the height of the girdle so that there is a vertical overlap between the ends of slits 7 and 9. When both slits are opened to put the girdle on, the transverse spreading permitted by the overlapping portions of the slits is greater than the spreading which would be permitted if the slits were not overlapped. This feature makes it much easier to put on or take off the girdle.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

I claim: a

l. A girdle comprising a front section, a pair of stretchable sidescctions, a back section, and a panel extending transversely of said girdle, said panel being stretchable only in the direction transverse of the girdle, said back section being sewed along its opposite edges to said side sections, said back section and said side sections each being sewed along its upper edge to said panel, said front section being sewed along a portion only of each of its opposite edges to said side sections and along one of said opposite edges to one end of said panel, the unsewed portion of each edge of said front section being longer than one half the length of said front section, one of said unsewed portions extending upwardly from the lower edge of said front section, said other unsewed portion extending downwardly from the upper edge, of said front section, and means for detachably securing the unsewed edge portions of said front section to the adjacent edge portions of said side sections and to the unsewed end of said panel and for detachably securing the unsewed end of said panel to the unsewed portion of said front section extending downwardly from the upper edge of said front section.

2. A girdle comprising a back section, a pair of stretchable side sections sewed to opposite edges of said back section, a panel sewed tothe upper edges of said back section and each of said side sections, said panel being stretchable only in the direction transverse of the girdle, a front section, the lower edge portion of one of said side sections being secured to the adjacent edge portion of said front section by a sewed joint, the upper edge portion of said other side section and one end of said panel being secured to the adjacent edge portion of said front section by a second sewed joint, a slit extending downwardly from the upper edge of the girdle between the other end of said panel and the adjacent edge portion of said front section and between the adjacent edge portions of said front and side sections to the top of said first mentioned sewed joint, a slit extending upwardly from the lower edge of said girdle between the adjacent edge portions of said front and side sections to the bottom of said second mentioned sewed joint, each of said slits having a length greater than half the length of said girdle, and a zipper closure secured to each of said slits.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

